Serendipity
by Seraphim Starlight
Summary: [Asch x Natalia] He was given a second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it. AU. Some spoilers.
1. A Fateful Encounter

**Serendipity**

**By: seraphimstarlight**

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**Disclaimer**: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

**Author's Note: **A fic to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the Tales of the Abyss category!! This takes place right at the beginning of the story after Asch attacks Luke onboard the Tartarus. AU because Natalia is in the party for this fic. Also, there's probably some OOCness for Asch though I tried my best to keep it to a minimum.

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He hadn't expected to see her there. In fact, he hadn't even seen her at first. One minute he was poised to deliver the finishing blow against that foolish replica who had stolen his life from him, and the next thing he knew, _she_ was there.

At first, he thought that he was hallucinating—that, somehow, that dreck had managed to finish him off. Needless to say, he quickly dismissed that as impossible. His next thought was that the Necromancer had somehow snuck up on him. As far as he knew, however, Largo had hit the man with a Fon Slot Seal, effectively crippling him for the time being and allowing him to be contained by a sufficiently large group of Oracle Knights. Maybe that hymnist had sung him to sleep, and this was nothing more than a dream that would fade upon waking. After all, there was no other explanation for why she would be here before him.

Even if she was shielding that bloody replica.

He should have let the blade fall—become a death knell for them and put the both out of his misery. At least that way, the replica would die, but, then, so would she.

He could not permit even the thought.

In a motion so swift he was not even aware of it, he flung the sword aside with a deft flick of his wrist, sending the weapon skidding across the deck of the Tartarus, the metal blade singing against the hull.

For a moment, her emerald eyes widened in shock, and he had the half-delirious thought that she might remember him—that maybe the years of separation had done nothing to weaken the bond between them—that maybe the changes brought about by the years meant nothing in the face of that bond.

And change them the years certainly had. The last time he had seen her they had both been seven years old. She had had longer hair back then—glossy, golden curls that fell past her shoulders. And her endless eyes had then been so innocent, not filled with the rage and hatred with which she now stared at him.

Dimly, he wondered what she thought of what he had become since they had last seen each other those many years ago. Did she even realize he was the same person who had "proposed" to her so long ago?

Judging from her venomous expression as she pressed the blade of the replica's discarded weapon against the side of his neck, he assumed not. When she had picked up the weapon and turned it on him, he didn't know.

"You knave!" she seethed as she pressed the blade harder against his neck, "You dare turn a blade against my fiancé?"

Fiancé. The word stung him so much more than he dared admit at the moment.

The blade trembled against his skin. "Do you even know who I am?" she demanded, shifting her position slightly.

Sensing a weakness in her stance, Asch took the opportunity to grab hold of her wrist and force the blade away from his neck. She strained against his grip, trying to regain control over the weapon but was no match for his strength.

"Let go of me!" she hissed.

Really, he could have let go of her. After all, he already had control of the weapon; there was no need to maintain his hold over the princess. Still. After all this time, she was here, so tantalizingly close. Something within him wouldn't let him surrender her now.

Instead, he used his grip on her arm to pull her closer when she did not move. Ordinarily, he would never have forced her to do anything against her will, but this situation was quickly going out of his control.

From his position closest to the door, he could hear the Oracle Knights he had left to herd the prisoners from the control room to the makeshift brig below decks advancing steadily down the hallway, undoubtedly accompanied by Largo the Black Lion or Arietta the Wild. And, were either to find her here, she would be locked away with the others. And though her safety was assured for the time being even if she were to be captured by the other God-Generals, he would certainly lose the opportunity which now presented itself—the chance to explain things to her.

He leaned towards her.

"Listen," he said as calmly as he could manage, given that their faces were scant inches apart, "you have two choices right now. One, I can hand you over the other God-Generals and they can do with you as they see fit, or, I can take you with me."

"And why is one better than the other?" she hissed.

The anger in her words made him flinch involuntarily. "Because I _do_ know you," he said, his voice more emotional than he would have liked, "better than you could ever imagine."

For a moment surprise flickered across her face—whether from his words or simply his tone, he could not tell—only to be quickly replaced by disbelief. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, incredulous.

He pulled back and shook his head. "Not here. The other God-Generals will be here any minute."

She studied him carefully. "You'll just ransom me to Kimlasca," she said at last, "or maybe just kill me outright."

He drew in a sharp breath. She may as well have just punched him in the gut with those words. "No, I won't," he said, his voice shaking slightly, "I swear it."

She eyed him cautiously. "How can I trust you to keep your word?"

The footsteps in the hallway were getting even closer. If he were going to convince her, he would have to do it now. He would have to play his trump card.

"Because," he said drawing in a deep, steadying breath, "I swear on my name as Luke fon Fabre."

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**Author's Note:**

I actually came up with the idea for this fic a while ago and put off writing it because of **And the Clock Struck Twelve**. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on that, I just wanted to get this down before I forgot it. Also, sorry about the fast pace of the story. I'll try to slow it down next chapter.

This story will probably be short (about five chapters or so at most) and will either be written very quickly or be written inbetween chapters of the other fic. Umm, anyways, until next time.


	2. Liftoff

**Serendipity**

**By: seraphimstarlight**

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**Disclaimer**: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

**Author's Note: **Many thanks to ladynadiad, drachemeister, LatyfeSurLeSora , and Dragnotchi for the kind reviews!

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For a long moment she simply stared.

"What did you say?" she asked at last, half-angry, half-incredulous.

Asch felt the precious seconds ticking away as the metal-shod feet of the soldiers approached ever closer.

"There's no time for this," he said, trying to hide the frustration building in his voice, "either you come with me now and get an explanation or you stay here and remain in the dark. The choice is yours, Princess."

She did not seem at all unnerved by the gruffness of his tone nor by the inherent peril of her situation. Instead, she calmly contemplated the pros and cons of both choices. After a painfully long moment she nodded.

"Very well, I will go with you on one condition."

Truthfully, he worried what she might ask, but there was no more time for delay. "Just name it," he said with a sigh.

"Return me to my companions when this is over."

Behind them the door cracked open.

"Fine," he said as he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her around the corner of the structure they had been standing in front of just in time to avoid being spotted by the group of Oracle Knights. The Knights herded the two captives through the door, stopping momentarily in front of Luke's unconcious form. The Knights motioned to the prisoners to pick up their companion.

As he knelt down to comply, the Necromancer glanced around surreptitiously, turning away when one of the guards prodded him with the end of his spear, and the trio was led out of sight.

"I can only wonder what that man is planning," Asch muttered to himself, readjusting his hold on the princess who, despite her vow of compliance, was trying to squirm her way out of his grasp.

"Whatever it is," she replied, still struggling, "your group is certain to be on the receiving end."

"I don't doubt that," he replied grimly.

She stopped struggling for a moment. "You're agreeing?" she asked, eyes wide. "Shouldn't you at least be a little worried about your comrades?"

At this he let out a short, if uncharacteristic laugh. "Comrades? You must be joking. We simply work together. That's all."

"Disgraceful," she muttered, turning away so that all he could see was the back of her head.

He frowned. "Are you saying that you'd help someone even if they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves?"

"Yes," she said sharply. "It's my job as a noble of Kimlasca." She cast a critical glance over her shoulder. "And if you were who you claimed to be, you would have known that."

The frown deepened into a full-fledged scowl. "That dreck doesn't know it either."

"Dreck? You mean Lu—"

His grip on her tightened involuntarily to the point that it caused her to wince audibly.

"Asch-!!"

He didn't even hear her. "Don't ever call that dreck by that name," he seethed, his grip tightening even further.

"Asch!" she gasped, her voice strained, "I can't—y-you're hurting me!"

The accusation jolted him back to reality, and he realized with a start that her neck was pinned between his torso and the crook of his elbow. Immediately, he released his grip and all but shoved her away from him, taking an involuntary step back as he did so.

She fell to her knees, coughing and gasping, tugging at the scarf around her neck as though that might help her breathe easier. Her hyperventilation, however, was probably making her heady, accounting for why she was having such difficulty untying such a simple knot.

He stepped forward and knelt beside her, prying her fumbling fingers away from the knot so that he could untie it. Quickly, he loosened the knot and pulled the scarf away from her neck.

"You have to breathe slower," he admonished her, placing his hand on her back.

She complied but glared at him over her shoulder.

"Forgive me," he said quietly, "I never meant to hurt you."

She turned to look at him but said nothing, though her expression softened somewhat. She coughed a few more times, ran her hand lightly over her throat.

"Just keep your hands to yourself next time," she croaked.

A strangled chuckle worked its way up his throat. "I'm not certain I can promise you that, Princess."

"And why is that?" she asked, her voice sounding much steadier now.

Asch started to answer, but his reply was cut off when a man carrying a large scythe appeared around the corner. Asch cursed under his breath, earning him an admonishing glare from Natalia. She opened her mouth, presumably to lecture him, but he didn't give her the chance. Instead, he pulled her to her feet, ignoring her squeak of surprise and stepped between her and the giant advancing towards them.

"Whatever you do," he whispered to the startled princess, "stay behind me."

She watched him, wide-eyed. "Asch…"

He turned away. "Don't worry. He won't hurt us. I think."

"What are you doing, Asch?" Largo boomed from a few feet away.

Asch resisted the urge to cover his ears. Honestly, did that man have any idea of how loud he could be?

"Stay out of this, Largo," Asch cautioned, his hand instinctively reaching for a weapon that, to his dismay, was not there.

"Well, well, well," continued Largo in his distinctive baritone, "just what do we have here?"

The taller man peered over Asch's head, gaze coming to rest on the girl who stood behind him. For a moment, the bearded man's normally fierce expression softened, in the same manner, perhaps, as one who had seen a ghost. His face quickly resumed its impassive mask, though, somehow, his gaze didn't seem quite as fierce.

"Is she—one of them?" Largo asked, gesturing vaguely over his shoulder in the general direction in which the prisoners had been taken.

"It doesn't matter," Asch replied. "I'm dealing with her."

"Really? It seemed to me as though you were helping her escape."

Asch's expression hardened. "And if I was?"

Largo shifted his scythe ominously. "At the very least I'd have to ask your reasoning."

At this, Asch relaxed somewhat. If Largo was truly intending to take them in, he would undoubtedly have done so by now. The shorter man eased out of his defensive stance. "All I can say," he said at last, "is that I have something important to take care of. Surely, you can understand, Largo."

Largo glanced once more at the princess, sighed and walked past the stunned pair.

"Sync is headed this way," he said as he passed by, "you'd best be gone before he finds you."

Asch resisted the urge to thank the scythe-wielder, deciding, instead, to take the advice that the other man had offered.

"Follow me," he said, extending his hand to the princess.

Again, she hesitated for a moment before placing a delicate hand in his. "And, where exactly are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," Asch said just before turning away and whistling loudly. A few seconds later, a dark shadow fell over them, and they looked up to find a huge bird hovering over them. It was one of Arietta's minions. For once, Asch was grateful that she had trained them to respond to all of the God-Generals.

Beside him, Natalia paled. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" she ventured warily.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Unfortunately, yes. But it's really not as bad as it seems."

She moved to pull away, but he kept hold of her hand. "I won't drop you," he said, frowning slightly, "I'll keep a good hold on you."

"That's what I'm worried about," she replied honestly.

"Nothing like that will happen again," he said quickly. "Besides," he added after a moment's contemplation, "if anyone will be strangling anyone, you'll probably be strangling me."

She seemed to understand and, hesitantly stepped closer, wrapping her arms about his neck as he wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

"You know," she said as he was reaching up to take hold of the bird, "you probably shouldn't say things like that with a straight face or I might be tempted to believe you." She tightened her grip about his neck to emphasize her point.

"Keep on like that," he said, "and I might be tempted to worry."

Neither openly smiled, but the atmosphere between them certainly seemed less tense than it had earlier.

He reached up again, but she stopped him when she asked him, "Will that bird really be able to carry the both of us?"

At this, Asch almost wanted to laugh. "One of these things," he said gesturing towards the bird, "can carry Largo. Does that answer your question?"

Her eyes widened. She blinked a couple of times, staring at him in sheer disbelief. Upon realizing he was serious, she said at last, "I suppose so."

He reached up and took hold of the bird.

"Careful," he cautioned, "lift-off can be jarring."

She tightened her grip. "After all this," she admitted, "I'm done being surprised for the day."

"If you say so," he said before whistling for the bird to take off.

The giant creature flapped its wings experimentally a couple of times before rising easily into the air.

"Don't let go," he whispered to her when her grip loosened slightly.

She glanced down at the ground which was quickly getting farther and farther away. "Believe me," she said, tightening her grip, "right now, I wouldn't dream of it." She punctuated her statement with another glance at the ground.

"Neither would I," he said quietly. "Neither would I."

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**Author's Note:**

This fic is actually turning out more light-hearted than I had originally intended. If this keeps up I might just change the category from Angst the Humor. Really, I hope this is a happy fic. And OOC in small doses is so much fun (though, I will try to keep it to a minimum.)

Anyways, until next time then.


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